A wide variety of compact electronic organizers are currently available that permit an operator to enter various information related to the operator's personal schedule and business contacts. For example, the WIZARD.TM. series of hand-held electronic organizers available from the Sharp Electronics Corporation includes a keyboard and display that permits the operator to enter schedule information, telephone numbers and memos for later review and retrieval. The operator can also create a business card file in which information related to a number of business cards can be stored, sorted and retrieved.
A primary drawback of the type of electronic organizer described above is the method in which information is entered and subsequently retrieved by the operator. Specifically, the operator is forced to use a very small keyboard to enter text data as the electronic organizer is designed to be of a compact or "pocket" size. Many individuals find the small keys on the keyboards to be difficult to use and may therefore experience a large number of errors when trying to enter or retrieve information.
Attempts have been made to overcome the problem of small keys by having the operator use an input stylus to activate the keys or buttons on the keyboard. While the stylus does make it easier for the operator to select a desired key, the overall data entry operation using the stylus is very slow as the operator must use a "hunt and peck" approach to enter data. Thus, the transfer of data from various source materials into the organizer, for example the transfer of name, address, company name and telephone number from a business card to a business card file within the organizer, becomes a very tedious and time consuming operation.
Another disadvantage in the method of entering data in conventional organizers is that, in many instances, the same data must be re-entered in a number of different databases. For example, it may be desirable to include identical information concerning a particular individual, such as the individual's name, in a telephone directory file, a business card file and a memo file. Conventional organizers do not provide a mechanism to relate data between databases. Thus, the user of the organizer is forced to re-enter the same name information in each of the desired files, thereby increasing the number of key strokes required and the probability that a data entry error will occur.
A further drawback of currently available electronic organizers is the inability to correlate various information from different databases for easy access and retrieval. For example, an operator using the electronic organizer's schedule function mode of operation may find that an appointment is indicated for a particular individual at a certain time. The operator may wish to contact the noted individual by telephone to cancel the scheduled appointment. To obtain the individual's telephone number, the operator must exit the schedule function mode and enter a telephone directory function mode. The operator must then search a telephone directory file for the individuals name to obtain the telephone number. Thus, the operator is required to enter a number of commands to switch from one discrete mode of operation to another to obtain the desired information. The requirement to use multiple discrete modes to retrieve information is timing consuming and tedious.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic organizer that incorporates a user interface that reduces the amount of effort required to enter and retrieve both text and image data into the electronic organizer. It is a further object of the invention to provide an electronic organizer with the ability to correlate and relate information between several different databases to permit the operator to quickly and easily enter and retrieve related information with a minimal amount of effort. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the best mode of practicing the invention provided below.